ISLAMABAD, FEB 10 (DNA): Crossing hurdles and security checkpoints, a large number of lawyers have reached D-Chowk in Islamabad and staged a sit-in demonstration on Monday.
They have urged all their fraternity members to gather at D-Chowk, an iconic protest landmark, stating that the next course of action will be announced once everyone has arrived.
Security has been tightened outside the Supreme Court as the lawyers had given a call to hold the protest outside its building against the 26th Constitutional Amendment and appointment of new judges.
A heavy police contingent was deployed within the Supreme Court premises, and only Margalla Road was kept open for access to the court. Two layers of security were in place outside the Supreme Court.
Whereas, the metro bus service operating between the twin cities has also been partially suspended.
The lawyers protesting against the 26h Constitutional Amendment demanded deferring the judicial commission meeting scheduled the same day as well.
Despite the request by lawyers, asking the local administration to allow them to stage a peaceful demonstration and entrance into the Red Zone, the authorities blocked Srinagar Highway, Nadra Chowk, and Serena Chowk.
Clashes between the law enforcers and lawyers took place at Serena Chowk when the lawyers tried to forcibly enter the area. As lawyers from Sindh and Balochistan are also pouring in, they have blocked the route from the Srinagar Highway too.
On the other hand, some lawyer organisations have rejected the protest against the judicial commission, saying certain lawyer groups were carrying out the demonstrations for their controversial political motives.
In a joint statement, the Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association, Punjab Bar Council, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, Balochistan High Court Bar Association and Sindh High Court Bar Association said they condemned the appeal to stage protests against the judicial commission.
They said they completely backed the judicial commission’s actions. “We fully support the 26th Constitutional Amendment and legislation after that and consider them a part of the constitution,” they said, adding that the right to give a call for protests was a prerogative of the representative organisations.
Three joint statements have been released in this regard by different lawyer bodies with the same theme.
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